Catharine Furnace
Catharine Furnace is a historic iron furnace in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, near Chancellorsville in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. It was built in 1837 and closed down ten years later. During the American Civil War the furnace came into use again.
John S. Wellford was the manager, principal owner and driving force of Catharine Furnace from its foundation to his death in 1846. His success in obtaining government ordnance contracts for the furnace was based on his personal social network. Relying on these contracts, the company neglected to expand on the open market. When Wellford died in 1846, the loss of his network therefore led to its failure.[1]
In 1861, the furnace was taken over by a new company. It began its operations by restoring and updating the furnace. During the Overland Campaign, the furnace was at least partly destroyed by Union troops, yet being rebuilt again in November 1864 and in full operation in February 1865. The furnace operated under contract with the Confederate government and enjoyed the release of skilled workers from the Confederate army for service at the furnace. After the end of the war, the demand for Virginia iron products ceased due to loss of government contract and competition from western Pennsylvania.[2]
First period, 1836-1847
Catharine Furnace was founded and built by Fredericksburg Iron and Steel Manufacturing Company, a joint-stock company chartered in 1836, and owned by Francis B. Deane, John Heth, John S. Wellford, Edward H. Carmichael and William Crump with an undivided fifth interest each. Wellford was the financial backer of the company as well as the manager of the furnace. After several transfers, the owners of the company in 1841 was Wellford who owned two undivided and one half of a fifth, Carmichael whose fifth was held in trust by William N. Wellford (the son of John S.), Deane whose fifth was held in trust by Richard N. Cunningham, and Henry Taylor who had bought half of Crump's fifth. When Wellford in 1846 bought Taylor's half interest, he obtained the controlling interest of the company. Wellford was the financial backer of the company and the manager of the furnace. When the older Wellford died in 1846, the younger Wellford, in agreement with Carmichael and Cunningham, decided to terminate operations and sell the furnace. No purchaser was found, however, and the owners in 1847 abandoned the blast furnace and other buildings.[3]
John S. Wellford was a seasoned
Wellford named the furnace after his mother, and by the early spring of 1838 the blast furnace was ready for operation. The
From 1841, the business of Catharine Furnace began to improve through a number of ordnance contracts with the
Second period, 1861-1865
In 1861, the furnace was sold to a
In July 1862, Charles C. Wellford was imprisoned by the federal government, but released after six weeks in custody. He later moved his family to Catharine Furnace when his house in the city was damaged during the
After the battle, Catharine Furnace Company claimed compensation for damages from the Confederate government. Most breakage did not occur during actual combat, but at the time when United States forces held the furnace while the real fighting took place north of it. The furnace was repaired and back in operation in early 1864. During the Overland Campaign, Union cavalry under
Appendix: Physical property 1847
When the owners decided to sell Catharine Furnace in 1847, a description of the property was included in advertisements published in several papers.[10] [11] The property contained 4,684 acres of land; a dwelling house or family residence, two stories, 8 rooms, kitchen and room for servants; an engine house of stone, 20 feet wide and 70 feet long, and a
Appendix: Enslaved labor 1837-1846
Although positions as moulders at Catharine Furnace were filled by itinerant white workers, the bulk of the labor needed was provided by enslaved workers hired from their masters. Patterns and gauges were provided by the government and the furnace did not develop its own labor force of skilled workers. In 1837, the labor force consisted of 86 enslaved workers, with 19 earmarked as mine workers.[13] The number of hired enslaved workers varied over the years. The lowest figure was 33 in 1844 which was about the minimum number needed to run a furnace. The highest number was 100 in 1838. Wellford used both free and enslaved workers for making charcoal. Colliers were skilled workers and Wellford used to reward the enslaved collier he hired with small amount of cash, at the same time paying a large sum in hire for him. The menial task of chopping wood for the pile was done by unqualified enslaved labor. Enslaved workers at the furnace were also paid cash for extra work. There are records of enslaved workers trying to run away but no evidence of anyone succeeding.[14]
References
- ^ Adams, Sean Patrick (2013). "The perils of personal capital in antebellum America: John Spotswood Wellford and Virginia's Catharine Furnace." Business History 55(8): 1339-1360, p. 1339.
- ^ Northington, Oscar F., Jr. (1936). "The Revival of the Iron Industry in Eastern Virginia as exemplified by the History of the Catharine Furnace in Spotsylvania County." William and Mary Quarterly 16(1): 71-77, pp. 77-80.
- ^ a b Northington 1936, op.cit., pp. 72-75.
- ^ Adams 2013, op.cit., pp. 1340, 1343.
- ^ Adams 2013, op.cit., pp. 1343-1344, 1345-1347.
- ^ Adams 2013, op.cit., pp. 1347-1351.
- ^ Adams, Sean Patrick (2011). Iron from the Wilderness: The history of Virginia's Catharine Furnace. National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, pp. 63, 65, 67.
- ^ Adams 2011, op.cit., pp. 67-70.
- ^ Adams 2011, op.cit., pp. 70-72.
- ^ Northington 1936, op.cit., p. 75
- ^ Adams 2013, op.cit., p. 1351.
- ^ Richmond Enquirer, Richmond, Va., May 14, 1847.
- ^ Adams 2013, op.cit., p. 1344, 1354.
- ^ Adams 2011, op.cit., pp. 51, 58, 81.